Gold body-chain from the Hoxne hoard

Roman Britain, buried in the 5th century AD
Found at Hoxne, Suffolk (1992)

A very rare type of jewellery

The Hoxne (pronounced 'Hoxon') hoard is the richest find of
treasure from Roman Britain. Alongside the approximately 15,000
coins were many other precious objects, buried for safety at a time
when Britain was passing out of Roman control.

This body-chain is a type of ornament which had a long history
and can be seen in representations in both Hellenistic and Roman
art, but actual examples are extremely rare. The chains passed over
the shoulders and under the arms of the wearer, with a decorative
focus where they join on the chest and the back. This example is
very small indeed, and could only have been worn by an unusually
slender, perhaps very young, woman. The two plaques where the
chains join comprise a gold coin of Emperor Gratian (reigned AD
367-383) in a decorative mount, and an oval setting for nine gems,
a central amethyst, four garnets, and four empty round settings
which probably contained pearls, now completely decayed.